No longer are there isolated outposts when it comes to sport.
All one needs is to take a look at the National Basketball Association.
Last year the NBA had player representation spanning 60 different countries including Canada.
Dreams have no borders.
Thompson’s Trevor Winter and Samantha Bertram have such dreams….although not so lofty….but still they have hoop dreams.
“I’d like to go on and play university basketball somewhere in Canada,” stated Winter, the 6-foot-4 all-star from R.D Parker High School Trojans. “And by attending camps like this, I may have that chance.”
Winter was referring to the 44th Legion Athletic Camp, where for the third summer in a row, he was taking in a week of hoops from August 7-13 under the direction of head coach Albert Tremonti.
“Every summer I come here I improve on something,” says Winter, of the non-profit six-week summer camp located at the International Peace Garden situated on the Manitoba/North Dakota border. “Be it shooting, defence, dribbling. There is always something to improve on.”
It is also the caliber and vast array of competition that has Winter, entering Grade 12 this fall, returning each summer.
“In Thompson I am one of the better players (he was an all-star selection in five of seven high school tournaments last year and a AAA provincial all-star) but here there are kids from all over Canada and other places.
“Here I get to play against all different players and not just for one game but for an entire week.”
Winter caught the hoops bug in Grade 5 while shooting the “J” on the outside courts at Burntwood Elementary School.
“There were two rims. One was eight feet high and the other probably nine and-a-half-feet high and they had no meshes. I played everyday during the summer and the fall and even took the shovel out to clear the courts in the winter.
“The hockey players would diss us because we were playing basketball outside and not hockey.”
Winter, who had a career high 46 points last year against Swan Valley Tigers, was in the elite group at camp under the guidance of Coach Darren Johnson.
Johnson predicts a bright future for Winter.
“Trevor has overall good skills in every area,” said Johnson, who is also head athletics director at Winnipeg’s St. Johns Ravenscourt. “He is a very good scorer and has leadership abilities. The only downside is that where he plays (high school). There he is the main player and may have to do a lot himself. Aside from that he has very few bad habits.
“He has the potential to play at some post secondary schools not only in Canada but also in the United States.”
Johnson was also impressed by the play of Samantha Bertram, who like Winter, is entering Grade 12 at R.D. Parker.
“She is aggressive and can take it to the basket well,” said Johnson. “Her weakness may be her confidence and size is an issue (Bertram stands 5-foot-4).”
Bertram fell for the hoops bug in Grade 9 because “I liked the speed of the game and it was more exciting then the other sports I played.”
She too has benefited from the Legion Athletic Camp experience attending the basketball portion in Grades 7, 10 and 11.
“In Thompson you play against the same people over and over. Down here you get to meet players from all over and with different skills.
“My goal this year is to see our team to go to provincials and medal. After that I really don’t know as the competition (at the post secondary level) is really tough. But it would be great to be there because I love this game.”
Who knows? Remember…dreams have no borders.
TREVOR WINTER
